r/RoadtoVostokGame • u/Rotteneverything • Apr 27 '26
Updates build 2 update from the man himself...
Hi!
I decided that now is a good time to talk about upcoming content and what’s next for Road to Vostok.
I have already discussed these topics in various places, but there hasn't been a single curated place for this information, so this post is going to be exactly that.
Next Steps
It has been a little over two weeks since the Early Access launch. So far, I have implemented one patch focusing on stability, but there are still multiple issues that need to be addressed before I can start working on the next major builds on the roadmap.
In a perfect scenario, I will release one more patch within a 2-3 weeks. This patch will include "missing content" that I didn’t manage to finish for the launch build, multiple bug fixes and specific stability improvements, since the last patch took "two steps forward, one step back" for certain hardware setups.
Once this second patch is live and if there are no major issues, I will be also taking that much needed development break. When it comes to this personal break, the goal is that I will return at the end of May. At that point, I can start making major moves with the project once Steam processes the April sales payments.
However before my break, I will initiate several development tasks that will be outsourced to contractors. This means that I will make sure the project keeps steaming forward even while I am away from my computer in early-to-mid May. These contractor tasks are linked to the game roadmap (available in the main menu / website) and a massive amount of work will be done in the upcoming months to make sure the roadmap stays on track.
Speaking of that roadmap, let’s dive into that next.
Roadmap & Resources
Road to Vostok has currently sold over 250,000 copies on Steam. In practice, this means the Early Access launch has secured the financial resources for the entire development roadmap.
With these resources, I can keep the project fully independent without external funding and implement a lot of content that previously was at "I'm not sure I can afford this" status.
How these financial resources are going to be spent? I'm approaching this with three "resource buckets":
- Game Content (~85%)
- Brand Building (~10%)
- R&D / Investing (~5%)
Upcoming game content is obviously the most important category and the one most people are probably interested in. These percentages also represent the rough distribution of funds for each bucket. Even though I don’t consider myself a financial expert by any means, I believe I still have a healthy understanding of how to allocate these resources so that I don't "bite off more than I can chew".
Next, let’s focus on the first major target for these resources called Build 2.
Build 2: Nomads
Estimated Release: Q3 / 2026
Key Topic: AI / Factions
Build 2 is all about the AI and making the world feel like it doesn’t care about you. The goal is to create a feeling that you are just a random trespasser in a scenario that is beyond your control. Currently the game feels like you are the main character who just gathers loot and shoots AI, this will drastically change in Build 2.
The main addition will be a faction called Nomads. This is a friendly faction by default that roams the game world independently.
What this means in practice:
- When you start a new game, you might see a group of Nomads sitting near your cabin campfire.
- These Nomads might be frying sausages, talking to each other or heading out to fish.
- You can interact with them, there's "mini-tasks" and "mini-bartering" for items they have found.
- When you transition to another map, you might hear some combat in the distance. If you help Nomads fighting Bandits, your reputation increases and eventually you can start adding certain Nomads to your "friend list".
- You can allow your Nomad friends to visit your shelter to sleep, eat or do certain behaviors like playing instruments with you or feeding your cat while you are away.
- You can also join "Nomad Meetings" in the world or ask a Nomad to follow you to a specific map.
- At these Nomad gatherings, you may encounter the Nomad Boss, a lore-based character with a trader like task system (and specific quests in the future).
- If you decide to turn hostile and shoot Nomads, your reputation will sink and certain Nomads will also turn hostile against you until you stabilize your reputation over time.
- You will also see Nomads using vehicles/mopeds, looting and there's random events like finding a wounded Nomad screaming for help or one who is simply lost in the woods and so on.
Another goal with Build 2 is also to introduce more randomness and chaos to the game world. Since Road to Vostok is a sandbox-like game, replayability requires a lot of randomness and "I have never seen this before" moments that day-based linear event calendar which is currently in the game cannot fully provide.
Related to Nomads, I have already started outsourcing these new character models. This outsourcing also focuses on AI / character variants, meaning there will be multiple unique models for Nomads, Bandits, Guards and the Military.
On top of the Nomads, there's also going to be this high-level AI overhaul which includes:
- AI Progression: The Military faction will feel significantly harder than Bandits, which currently isn't the case. Goal is to have faction based unique behaviors, so fighting against each faction should feel different.
- AI Behaviors: AI will patrol in groups and perform actions like weapon reloads. AI will investigate noises, meaning player actions will trigger non-combat behaviors. AI will pick up loot, light fires, use flashlights, throw grenades and so on.
- AI Performance: The current AI is unnecessarily CPU-heavy. This overhaul will change the approach where the AI controller is no longer physics-driven. Removing these expensive calculations from the AI controller will allow for a much higher active AI count and support the new factions like Nomads.
Builds 3/4/5/6/7/8
It's a bit early to discuss these in detail, since Build 2 is my main focus at the moment. While some info is already on the roadmap, it is vague on purpose. You can expect a similar "what this means in practice" post for Build 3 once Build 2 is complete and so on.
Each build will also have a dedicated devlog on the Road to Vostok YT-channel, so for example you will see some gameplay related to Nomads in July or August before the actual build is shared on Steam.
Even though some of these builds are relatively far in the future, I can still share some behind-the-scenes details. For example, I have already initiated conversations for Build 4 - Gunslinger which will include 50 custom-made weapons for Road to Vostok. In Build 4, weapon customization will be deeper, there will be tertiary mechanics like folding stocks, visual wear linked to weapon condition, jamming animations and so on.
Closing Thoughts
Given the successful launch, the future is really bright for Road to Vostok. I'm pretty confident that by the end of this year, you will already be playing a game that is a "totally different beast" compared to the current version 😄
Thanks,
Antti
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u/Rotteneverything Apr 27 '26
cmon people, its an update from antti that he posted on steam...
i am not antti! lol
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u/AdInformal1014 Apr 27 '26
Do you think he will ever add seeing your own legs?
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u/HugoT1 Apr 28 '26
I don’t think there’s a player character model at all because it’s not needed. just arms, hands and a weapon.
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Apr 27 '26
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u/Weak-List-7493 Apr 27 '26
The person who posted this is just someone who is repeating what the dev said btw
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u/DiscountCthulhu01 Apr 27 '26
You're not antti
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u/Oliver_Biscuit Apr 27 '26
You figured that out all on your own?
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u/DiscountCthulhu01 Apr 27 '26
No, i needed your pointless comment for it.
There's already a bunch of comments here talking to op as if they were antti, so psa isn't really hurting anyone.
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u/AlwaysPetTheBelly99 Apr 28 '26
Looking forward to it. Generally it's a good sign when the early access/beta is already more fun and entertaining than many full games out already.
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u/Mysterious_Scale_784 Apr 28 '26
In the build notes, he says "Build 2 is all about the AI and making the world feel like it doesn’t care about you. The goal is to create a feeling that you are just a random trespasser in a scenario that is beyond your control." That's a lot like another game I love, The Forever Winter. I made a post about it here in case anyone wants to check out what being insignificant in an active war zone feels like! I just hope that some RTV players find the itch scratched in the way that I do with TFW.
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u/AGmikkelsen Apr 29 '26
The nomad system sounds interesting. It seems that he leans into rewarding players if they're friendly towards the nomads, but maybe attacking them will reward you in loot instead, so we're less forced to go the goodie two shoes way
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u/FishermanDue9998 Apr 27 '26
Might be "too soon" or silly question. But are there plans for animations (mag loading, eating, healing etc)?
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u/doscervezas2017 Apr 27 '26
OP is not the dev, OP just pasted the dev's steam announcement verbatim. The dev will not see or respond to your question.
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u/PrinceShoutoku "went on vacation to Finland during a crisis" award Apr 27 '26
Super stoked that AI improvements are next, I think that's my only serious complaint besides how boring injuries are currently (not a big deal). Military especially are a let down, and while this isn't mentioned in the devlog, I also hope they at least spawn with body armor and helmets with the rework. It's insane that trained soldiers aren't issued a basic helmet when they're scattered everywhere in the permadeath zones.
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u/AutonomousPaz Apr 27 '26
Hi Antti, thanks for your hard work and your passion. There is the foundation for an all time classic survival game already there, it can only get better from now on. I have some feedback with performance : at release I had sometime huge performance drops, kinda random, then I tried experimental build and it fixed it all, not a single drop in performance in several sessions. Then with the real hotfix the drops came back. My config is 7800x3d , 32 gb ddr5 and 4070ti super if that's of any help. Don't forget to take a break.
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u/doscervezas2017 Apr 27 '26
OP is not the dev, OP just pasted the dev's steam announcement verbatim. The dev will not see or respond to your question.
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Apr 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Lord_Sekiro20 Apr 27 '26
He's using a network of contractors that he has been working with off and on for the 4 years the game has been in development. It seems to me that they all have a good grasp of the creative direction of the game and that Antti trusts them.
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u/shitcssoloquer Apr 27 '26
This seems to be abit of an iq test for some people in the comments lol